From underdogs to 'perfect all-kills,' the stories behind three successful winter songs

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From underdogs to 'perfect all-kills,' the stories behind three successful winter songs

Published: 17 Dec. 2025, 18:34 Updated: 18 Dec. 2025, 18:39

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A scene from the music video of singer Hwasa's ″Good Goodbye″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Singer Hwasa's “Good Goodbye,” Davichi's “Time Capsule” and Woodz's “Drowning” (2023) — these winter hits owe part of their success to the personal stories that inspired them.

“Good Goodbye” saw a sudden surge in popularity after Hwasa and actor Park Jeong-min, who also stars in the song's music video, performed a skit at the Blue Dragon Film Awards on Nov. 19, during which they re-enacted a dramatic farewell between lovers.

Hwasa became the first solo female artist this year to achieve what is known as a “perfect all-kill,” with “Good Goodbye” topping all six major Korean music streaming platforms: Melon, Genie, Bugs, YouTube Music, Flo and Vibe. The track also topped Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart as of Dec. 13.

Woodz’s “Drowning” also gained traction through its backstory. The artist drew renewed attention after performing the song on KBS2’s “Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend” (2012–) for a special Armed Forces Day episode in October of last year. At the time, the singer was fulfilling his mandatory military service. The segment was ultimately cut from the broadcast, but a video of the performance was later uploaded to YouTube and went viral, garnering 24 million views as of Tuesday.

Singer Woodz [EDAM ENTERTAINMENT]

Woodz's history as an underdog further fueled the song's belated success. Twelve years ago, he debuted as a member of Yuehua Entertainment's boy band UNIQ, which has been on an indefinite hiatus since 2018. He then joined X1 through the audition program “Produce X 101” (2019). However, both groups were short-lived — the former due to China’s ban on Korean entertainment content, and the latter from a vote-rigging scandal that affected the whole franchise.

Davichi’s “Time Capsule,” released in October, has consistently stayed on the charts. As of Tuesday, the track ranked No. 3 on Melon’s daily, weekly and monthly charts. The duo’s media appearances, during which they shared the story behind the song, helped boost its visibility. On the Dec. 2 episode of JTBC’s “Sing Again” (2020–), Davichi member Lee Hae-ri, who serves as a judge on the show, revealed that the song was written by Lee Mu-jin, a former contestant from the first season.

R&B duo Davichi [CAM WITH US]

Cover of the book ″Jamong Salgu Club″ by singer Hanroro [AUTHENTIC]

Among indie tracks, Hanroro’s “0+0” has gained attention for its connection to the album and novel with the same name, “Jamong Salgu Club,” which follows four middle school students who want to die but also want to live. The title “0+0” carries the message that even if two people have nothing, they can still dream of eternity together. As of Tuesday, the track ranked No. 4 on Melon’s indie chart.

While each of these songs initially became popular from external buzz, their sustained success is credited to their musical quality.

“A specific event can draw attention to a song, but that’s just a spark. These artists already have voices that resonate with listeners, and the songs themselves have strong appeal,” said music critic Kim Yoon-ha.

Critic Lim Hee-yoon added, “In tracks like ‘Time Capsule’ and ‘Drowning,’ the extremely high notes and clear dramatic arcs within the songs are what make them popular.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]